I did not start out as an estate planning attorney. Around 40 years ago, when I was practicing in the corporate section of Butler & Binion, a once major law firm in downtown Houston, I was recruited to join the firm’s trust and estate section to assist business owners with their succession plans. The experience totally changed my understanding of the practice of law. I discovered that, as an estate planning attorney, I had a direct impact on the way family members would relate to one another after a loved one becomes incapacitated or passes away. I loved the idea of being a family counselor, as well as an architect of an estate plan designed to protect assets and save money.
I left Butler & Binion in 1994 and joined with Tammy Manning in 1997 to form the law firm, Galligan & Manning. During the early years of Galligan & Manning, in addition to advising clients on estate planning and probate matters, I worked with Tammy to help the firm’s probate litigation clients find resolutions to the conflicts that often plague families after the death of a loved one.
After Tammy retired in 2022, a new entity, The Galligan Law Firm, was created. I am excited to have taken on a new position with The Galligan Law Firm – that of “Of Counsel.” My concentration now is on developing client education materials and focusing on new ways we can add value to the services we provide our clients.
One of the phrases I used to hear the most during an estate planning consultation was, “I just want everyone to get along after I’m gone.” I have seen the triggers that can ignite a family conflict and result in heart wrenching and expensive litigation. In my new position I’m looking forward to working with the other attorneys at The Galligan Law Firm to show clients ways to minimize or avoid conflicts that can occur after a loved one dies.
Whether it is working with a blended family, or with parents who want to protect their children from creditors or from losing their inheritance in a divorce situation, all of us at The Galligan Law Firm agree that our greatest satisfaction comes when we hear a client say “I didn’t know that was possible” or “I feel so relieved knowing that I can take steps now to keep peace in the future.”
Many people think of estate planning as just focusing on an efficient transfer of assets from one generation to another, but to what end? I am so happy that I work with a team at The Galligan Law Firm that believes our clients have as their purpose, not just the transfer of assets, but the desire to leave a legacy of love and family harmony.
If you’re reading this bio to find out more about my background, here it is:
I am Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law and a member of the Texas Academy of Probate and Trust Lawyers. From 1990 through 1997, I served on the Texas State Bar Sub-Committee on the Texas Power of Attorney Act legislation and served a six year term as a member of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Advisory Committee. From 2007 through 2010, I was an adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law where I taught a course on counseling the estate planning client.
I graduated from the University of Houston Law Center in 1985, where I served on the Houston Law Review. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1975 and a certificate in French language studies from L’Alliance Française in Paris, France in 1976.
I live in New Braunfels, Texas now, but make frequent visits to Houston to visit family and to pop in on the folks at The Galligan Law Firm with whom I am in frequent contact by phone, Zoom, and email.